Center caps are typically plastic parts, usually carrying the logo of the producer of the motor vehicle to which the center cap is attached.
In the past, center caps have been connected to the wheel by means of a plurality of resilient locking tabs, commonly known in the art as “snap fits”, that extend rearwardly from the center cap and are biased radially outwardly around the circumference of the center cap in order to engage a locking rib on the wheel to which the center cap is attached. A locking ring or other structure is then provided to secure the connection. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,651,171 to Kinslow, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,672 to Imahashi.
This document relates to a new and improved center cap that is easily and conveniently connected to the wheel by a rotary motion. The center cap of this document requires less material, is generally easier to produce, has fewer failure modes and provides a generally higher-integrity connection in many different applications.